Musings from Israel, part Three

Wings

In the area of Capernaum, as we sat by the Sea of Galilee, Yoni related to us a familiar gospel story, with a Jewish twist that I had never before considered. Holding up a tallit, a traditional undergament worn by orthodox Jews, in Jesus' day as well as today, Yoni explained that the corner of the tallit, where a tassel or fringe hangs down, is called the "wing" of the garment. Several days later, in Jerusalem, I snapped the following picture of an orthodox man, where you can see his tassel hanging down beneath his jacket.

The story Yoni told us is found in Mark 5:25-34, and it is the story of a woman who suffered from an affliction, a flow of blood, and wanted only to touch Jesus' garment as He passed by in a crowd. She succeeded in touching His garment, and felt immediately that she had been healed. Of course, Jesus knew what had happened; and a somewhat amusing exhcange with His disciples followed, wherein Jesus demanded to know who touched Him, and the incredulous disciples looked around at the huge throng of people pressing in on all sides, and back at Jesus as if to say, "What on earth are you talking about?" But Jesus knew exactly who touched Him, and He knew exactly why. When the woman came forward and told her story, Jesus commended her on her faith.

Obviously, a Jewish woman who believed Jesus to be the Messiah, would have faith that He had the ability to heal her, but why did she believe that merely touching His garment would be enough? To answer that question, we look to Malachi 4:2, "The Sun of Righteousness shall arrive with healing in his wings." I've heard that verse many times, and, with my Western mind, always assumed the wings were like angels' wings or birds' wings. But to the afflicted Jewish woman, the Messiah would be a Jewish man, wearing a Jewish tallit, and she knew there would be healing in His wings.

Be merciful to me, O God,

Be merciful to me!

For my soul trusts in You;

And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,

Until these calamities have passed by.

Psalm 57:1